Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENTTelegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has alleged that France’s intelligence chief asked him to “silence” Romanian conservative voices by banning them from his messaging app ahead of Sunday’s presidential run-off, triggering a wave of disinformation online.Durov made the claims on social media the morning after Nicușor Dan, a pro-European independent candidate, beat his conservative opponent George Simion to the Romanian presidency in a tense runoff vote.Simion has since requested that the Romanian Constitutional Court annul the second-round result, citing “irrefutable evidence” of meddling from France, Moldova and others. Durov has said he would be willing to “testify” in favour…

Reefton business people are urging DOC not to scrap a $10 million road to an historic goldmine that is set to become a visitor drawcard.The winding metal road to the old Globe Hill mine site in the Victoria Forest Park was built by Oceana Gold in 2006 to access its open-cast operation.As part of its concession agreement with DOC, the company was bound to restore the site, build new walking and cycling tracks and close the road.Ten years after mining ended, the restoration project — praised by DOC as world class — was almost complete.But locals wanted the road to…

By Shona Murray & Jesse Dimich-Louvet Published on 21/05/2025 – 14:29 GMT+2•Updated 18:46ADVERTISEMENTEU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič says EU standards on agriculture and food are “not up for negotiation”. In an interview with Euronews, Šefčovič has called for a fair and balanced deal with the United States amid a framework of tariff negotiations.US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — the main interlocutor of Commissioner Šefčovič — last month criticised EU regulations preventing some US-made meat and chicken from entering the European market due to the use of hormones deemed unsafe by Brussels. “The European Union won’t take chicken from America. They won’t take lobsters from America.…

A long-time Bay of Islands resident says ratepayers could face a hefty bill to save part of Waitangi’s waterfront from disappearing into the sea – a problem that could have been averted with a few hours’ work when he first raised the alarm almost a year ago.Ross Robertson, of Paihia, said a roughly 100-metre stretch of waterfront from the Waitangi roundabout toward Te Tii Marae had receded by up to six metres in places, exposing stormwater pipes, and undermining trees and benches.The eroded bank was now just a few metres from Te Karuwha Parade, Waitangi’s waterfront road.Robertson said the erosion…

ADVERTISEMENTPope Leo XIV has called for humanitarian aid to reach those in need in Gaza and for an end to the “heartbreaking” toll on its people, as he presided over his first general audience in St Peter’s Square.The Vatican said that around 40,000 people were on hand for the audience, which came just days after an estimated 200,000 people attended the inaugural Mass on Sunday for history’s first US pope.Pope Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost of Chicago, began the audience with a tour through the piazza in the popemobile and stopped to bless several babies.In addressing specific greetings to different…

A woman who stabbed a taxi driver in Christchurch has been sentenced to more than three years in prison.Auckland woman Rangimaria Sellars pleaded guilty to the stabbing last year, which critically injured the driver.The 46-year-old was sentenced at the Manukau District Court in Auckland to 40 months’ imprisonment today. That included a discount for pleading guilty early.On October 10, the victim went to a fast food restaurant on Memorial Ave about 10.30pm to find help after being stabbed several times. The restaurant owner said staff administered first aid until emergency services arrived before the driver was transported to hospital.Police arrested…

Published on 21/05/2025 – 18:23 GMT+2•Updated 18:32ADVERTISEMENTBelgian authorities have asked the European Parliament to waive the immunity of five of its members, Parliament’s president Roberta Metsola announced at the beginning of a plenary session in Brussels on Wednesday.The request relates to the ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and illicit lobbying practices involving Chinese company Huawei and some EU lawmakers and assistants.Three of the five MEPs involved belong to the center-right European People’s Party: the Italians Salvatore De Meo, Giusi Princi and Fulvio Martusciello. The others are the Maltese Socialist MEP Daniel Attard and the Bulgarian Renew Europe’s MEP Nikola Minchev.In a…

A “Run It Straight” event planned for Williams Park in Māngere has been canned after organisers failed to secure a permit and a local board raised safety concerns.The event is a social media-driven trend where participants compete in full-contact collisions without protective gear, raising serious health concerns over concussion and injury risks.Tauanu’u Nick Bakulich, chair of the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board, told Local Democracy Reporting that the board opposed the event on public health and safety grounds and confirmed no official application had been made to Auckland Council.”An event was scheduled at Williams Park Māngere [on Wednesday]. The Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board…

ADVERTISEMENTOman’s foreign minister has said the fifth round of indirect talks between the United States and Iran to discuss Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme take place on Friday in Rome.So far, neither Tehran nor Washington has confirmed the meeting or announced whether they will attend.Abbas Araghchi made the announcement in a post on the social media platform X after insisting that Tehran will never stop enriching uranium, further underlining the Islamic Republic’s red line in negotiations with the US.The comments by Araghchi come after several rounds of negotiations, including at an expert level over the details of a possible deal.However,…

Health chiefs have increased security at Christchurch Hospital’s birthing unit after a student midwife was attacked on the way to their car after leaving work.The staff member was targeted after their shift at the Antigua Street unit in the central city, although the assault did not happen on hospital grounds.College of Midwives chief executive Alison Eddy said Health New Zealand was doing all it could to ensure the safety of staff.”I understand that the facility does have security staff available to escort staff back to their cars, there’s absolutely that provision in place,” she said.”I think sometimes people might have…